Getting To Know Your Students (45 Minutes)

Maria Del Valle is an activist, mother, musician, teacher, consultant, and social entrepreneur. She is originally from Puerto Rico and is based in New York City. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Florida and a Performer's Certificate in Flute and a Master's Degree in Music Education from Longy School of Music at Bard College. She is a flute player and has 14 years of teaching experience creating music programs in international schools, charter schools, and El Sistema programs throughout New York City and abroad. Maria is the Assistant Principal of Music at a Music focused Charter School. She previously taught at The Equity Project Charter school where she worked with 3rd-grade musicians and has created partnerships with the New York Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall. She co-founded Upbeat City Arts, a community for Urban Arts educators to support one another and share resources, and founded Shine on Kids Arts Initiative, a community-based arts program for children and families based in Uptown Manhattan. She has been nominated three times by the RECORDING ACADEMY© and THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION© Music Educator Award and is a winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award. She loves to travel, read, and make music and is dedicated to decolonizing the music curriculum, creating culturally responsive lessons, and making arts accessible for all children.